Railway tie cutting machine



4 Sheets-Sheet l W. F. WOOLERY RAILWAY TIE CUTTING MACHINE July 15, 1952 Filed July 1, 1948 m3. W/LBER F. WOOLERV y 1952 w. F. WOOLERY 2,603,255

RAILWAY TIE CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 1, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIE E game/Wm W/LBER E WOOLEPY m C M472 July 15, 19 2 w. F. WOOLERY RAILWAY TIE CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 1, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 :F'IE 6e W/LBER E WOOLERY 3% QMJLMMAQL u y 1952 w. F. WOOLERY 2,603,255

RAILWAY TIE CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 1, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG 5 SFWQ/WM W/LBER /-7- WOOLER y taneous operation.

Patented July 15, 1952 UNITED STATES OFFlCE- Wilber F. Wodlery, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Woolery Machine Company, Minneapolis, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application July 1, 1948, Serial'No. 36,383

12 Claims. 1

' This invention relates to improvements in railway tie cutting machines for use in cutting old ties just inside the rails so that the resultin end and center sections may be removed with the maximum of ease and minimum disturbance of 5 the ballast or roadbed.

To this extent the present machine is identical in purpose to the machine disclosedin the Horace E. Woolery Patent No. 2,207,883 issued July 16, 1940. In the patented machine and all others to my present knowledge, however, the ties are cut by saws and it is found in practice that the saws became very rapidly dulled and worn by unavoidable contact with the ballast material so that they require all too frequent sharpening and replacement. Then, too, such machines are fairly slow in operation and are quite complicated and expensive in construction.

It is accordingly the primary object of my invention to provide a machine which uses, in lieu of the saws for cutting the ties, movably mounted cutting blades which are dropped down-'alongside the tie into suitable pockets dug in the ballast and then powerfully forced together to shear through the tie in a single and practically instan- Thus the tie may be. cut through rapidly and with but little occasion for abrasive contact between the ballast and the cutters or. blades so asto very materially reduce the time lost for sharpening thereof.

Another object is to provide a machine of this character wherein the cutters or blades are operatively arranged to sever the tie ends with a final and the expense 3o .snap such that the ends are forced outwardly accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a machine according to-my invention in use, with the near railjwaylrail broken away and showing the cutters or blades ready iorlowering into the ballast pockets for cutting, a tie;

. Fig. 2 is an end viewrof the machine of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3v is a horizontal sectional vieW through the lower ends ofthe blades, illustrating their action upon a tie of which, along with .theadja- ,Icent rail, only partsv or, which are shown.

'As usual the ties B are laid in 2 chine only a part of the supporting car of which appears.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to still another modification.

Fig. '7 is a plan view of in Fig. 6.

Referring now more particularly and by reference characters to the drawing, I have. shown my improved tie cutting machine in Figs. 1 3 as including a wheeled car for travel along the railway. rails'A andover the ties B,said car having a rectangular frame II) with wheels II near its ends and handles I2 by which it may be maneuvered and-lifted from the track when required.

a ballast road the machine shown in Fig. 4ibut showing the structure shown bed designated generally at C. p As here shown the machine is operatively to cut off both ends of the ties just inside the rails,

or inside the usual tie plates which are indicated at D and the machine comprises upright support frames I3 at each side from which arejsupported duplicatecutting assemblies designated generally at I4. Since these are duplicates the y will not be separately" described in detail nor separately -identified by reference numerals. The support frames l3 are actually standards or posts erected atop triangular side names I I M 5 secured to the car frame I Ii and bearings I6 are slidably'mounted on the supports to carry-a transverse hanger shaft It isupon the ends of this hanger shaft that .the cutting assemblies I4 4' Each cutting assembly cutters I 8 having elongated stralghtcutting edges are'actually hung."

comprises blades or l9aiid secured, as by bolts 28, to the lower end portions of hanger bars 2|. These bars 2| are each made of two lapped sections are and tl b,

,oppositelyofiset and welded together as indicated at '22, and thus'the blades is secured on the .outer sides .of the lowersections will hang in the same vertical plane, parallel toand inside of the adjacent rail A. See Fig. 2 particularly. The .blades I8 taper toward both upper and lower ends and it will be noted (Fig. 1) mat they each have four openings for the. selective accommodation of the bolts 20' so that they may be reversed on thehanger bars 2|. Since it is only thelower depen ing ends of the blades, hanging belowthe bars 2|, that do the cutting it will thus be seen that this reversal'of the blades allows'both ends to be "used and when both are finally dulled the bladesmay then be readily removed for resharpening. l I I T me en th n r b re limitati- 3 lars 23 which are pivotally mounted on the hanger shaft I1 and are held thereon against axial displacement by set screw equipped collars 24. The blades I8 are thus supported for swinging movements, toward and away from each other, and to so operate them I provide for each cutting assembly a hydraulic or fluid actuatedjack or ram having a cylinder 25 and plunger 26. The cylinder 25 has an eye 21 at one end which is removably, pivotally mounted on a pin 28 adjacent the lower end of one blade l8 while the plunger has a similar eye 29 pivotally attached to a similar pin 30 on the other blade. Theram isthus dis posed in a horizontal plane so that extension and retraction of the plunger will move the blades apart and draw them together, respectively. It

will be noted that the blades have auxiliarypins 28a and 30a upon which the ram may be mounted when the blades are reversed as previously described.

Fluid under pressure is selectively admitted to opposite ends of the respective cylinders 25 through flexible conduits 3i and 32 leading to a valve assembly 33 through which fluid flows from an accumulator tank 34. The fluid is placed under pressure in the tank by a pump 35 operated by belt 36 from a conventional internalcombustion power plant 31, all these elements being con- 'veniently grouped and mounted on one end of I the car frame 10 as shown in Fig.1.

The upper ends of a wide V-shaped llftframe 38 are secured to the-bearings I 6 which carry the hanger shaft l1 and the lower center of this frame is attached at 39 to the end-of a plunger 40 operating vertically in the cylinder 4| of a hydraulic adjusting lack. The'cylinder- 4| is supported on the car frame ID and suitably braced to hold anerect position, and fluid from the pump 35 is admitted selectively,-also under control of the valve assembly 33, to the opposite ends of the cylinder through conduits and 43.

V In operation th machine is moved along the track until the cutting assemblies are located .above the tie to be removed and then with the blades!!! spread apart, the adjustin jack is operated by proper admission of iiuldto the cylinder '4l' to lower the frame '38 and :so slide the {bearings l6 down the supportframes [3 or to QW I the hanger shait l1 and correspondingly lower th blades-down atoppositesides of the tie. The ballast Q is previously. removed forming pockets C alongside the tie-.to'accommodate the blades. Obviously the blades-will. be so adjusted that they will project at their lower ends slightly below the bottom of the .tie. just inside 33. 1 15 and tieplates. Fluidisnow admitted through the valve from the accumulator 34 :to theactuating ram cylinders 25 :so as topull in t e plunsers Z6 and this force .being. sufficiently powerful the cutting edges!!! of theblades will cleave throu h the tie until these edges meet and the tie-ends are completely shearedofffrom the pfthe blades l8 as bevelledon their outer sides,

or toward the rails. In operation as the blades .lllc of which is shown. mounted'at'each side of the frame an erect post orstandardl3a whereon bearings l5a. are vertically, slidably'mounted to adjustably support a hanger shaft Ila from which are supported cutting assemblies, designated generally at |4a-, inside the'rails. Only one cutting assembly is here shown.

Turning now to diifering details of thi modified construction, each said cutting assembly comprises aninverted U-shaped carrier frame having upright slide bars 44 which slide in the channels 45 of guide bars 46. The upper ends of these guide bars 46 are affixed to and depend from outrigger channels 41 which are slidably mounted inwardly through brackets 48 secured to the sides of the car frame lea. Eyed .pin 49 are removably mounted down through the brackets'48 and may be placed in any one of a series of openings 50 in the channels 41 thus permitting the carrier frame to be moved inwardly or outwardly as may be required to properlylocate the cutting assemblies with respect to the tie and rails. The carrier frame slide bars 44 are joined at their upper ends by a cross .0! tie bar 51 and secured in vertically spacedrelation to the lower portions of the slide bars are uide rods or shafts 52 running parallel to the rails. Blade carriers 53 are provided and'have properly bored upper and lower end bearings 54 which accommodate and slide upon the rods 52 so that these carriers may move in straight lines toward and away from each other. Norma-Ly they are urged toward each other by expansion coil springs 55 braced between the carriers and brackets 56 secured to the slide bars 44 between the rods 52. The cutting blades are designated at and they are removably bolted at 58 to the carriers 53 and have tapering cutting ends depending below the carriers. The inner or facing edges 59 of the blades are sharpened as previously described.

The blades 57 of each cutting assembly are moved toward and away .from each other by 'a hydraulic actuating ram located between the upper and lower end bearings 54 of the carriers and-comprises a cylindertll attached at 6| to one carrier and a plunger 52 attached at 63 to the other carrier. 7 Fluid is supplied to the cylinder through fiexible conduits 64 and 65 exactly as previously described and Home power plant-pump assembly such as shown in Fig. '1.

A rock shaft 66 is journaled crosswise *above the-car frame alongside channels 5] secured in up ig t positionto the car sides and atone end this "shaft is journaled through a lever "quadrant 68 secured to one channel, and at the other end through a bracket 69 secured to Itheother channel. An adjusting lever T0,'havingthe'usual pawl 'H cooperating with the quadrant, is seean arm. 14 (Fig. likewise linkedto the other bearing. lGa.v p j The foregoing arrangement is such that, the lever .10. may be operated to slide the bearings lfiaup and down the standards [3a, and since the cutting assemblies are hung from the hanger shaft I10, carried in these bearings, the cutting blades 51 maybe raised. and lowered as required. The cross'bars =5l,of the carrierlframes .have center arms .15 attached to set screw) equipped collars vHi on the shaft Ila to transmit these up and down movements and the collarallows compensating adjustments along. the hanger shaft as the carrier frame is moved in andout through the brackets 48 as previouslydescribed.

The blades 51 will operate to cut .oif' the tie also as previously set out, but in this case with a sliding straight line movement. instead of an arcuate swinging motion. l

In Figs. 6 and 7 I show a. third modification of my invention, again employing the same cutting principle, and again mounted upon a wheeled car only a midportion and one side of theframe 10b of which is shown. The supporting and vertical adjusting mechanism and arrangement duplicates that of Figs. 4 and 5 in that there are upright standards, oneshown at 131), on which the hanger shaft lib is carried by bearings l6b. The same lever mechanism may be used although not here shown. Each cutting assembly 14b has a carrier frame made up of slide bars-44b slidable in guide bars 45b carried in brackets 48b and the slide bars are joined by across bar'Eib and slide rods 5% with a center hanger arm b on the cross bar hung by a collar 16?) on the hanger shaft. In this case there are inner and outer pairs of the slide rods 52b mounted at their ends by brackets 11 onthe slide bars 44?). In this case the cutting blades are designated at 18 and they-have depending cutting portions 19, the adjacent upright edges 80 of which are sharpened, and oppositely extending arm portions 8| the opposite ends of which are pivoted on pins 82. These pins extend through and between apertured ears 83- on the facing sides of carrier blocks 84 which are apertured at their corners to slide upon the four slide rods 521). It will be noted that the blades overlap in such manner that their cutting edges will be pulled together by forcing the carrier blocks 84 apart on the slide rods. For this purpose I provide hydraulic actuating rams each having a cylinden 85 atached at one end'to oneof the pins 82 and a plunger BS'attached' at its end to the other pin; the rams being placed on opposite sides,' or

inwardly and-outwardlyof the cutting blades.

Fluid is selectively supplied to the opposite'erids of the cylinders 85 byfluid conduits 81 and 88 exactly as previously described. I

The operation of the cutting blades will be 'readilylevident'but this particular arrangement has the advantage that on the cutting stroke the pistons 89 (Fig. 6) on the plungers 86 have their full area exposed to the fluid pressure so that for a given thrust smaller cylinders may be used as will be readily understood.

I also here show cables 90 and Qi attached at 92 to the upper edges of the blades 18 and passing over pulleys 93 and 94 on the cross bar 5Ib and fastened at 95 to a hand lever 96 pivoted on and cooperating with a quadrant 91 also mounted on the cross bar. lever the center or overlapping ends of the blades may be raised and lowered as an auxiliary ad- Justment to the bodily raising and lowering of By manipulating this hand 7 the carrier frames. .orin lieu thereof as. will, also beunderstood. '55;

While I have described my invention as for the simultaneous cutting of both ends of thepties it will be understood that it may be equally well built in single units for cutting off one end at a time. In this casejthemachine may be .either reversed on the track for cutting off .thevopposite ends of .theties, or the. cutting unit may be arranged to slide transversely on the car for the same purpose. It is understood that suitable, modifications may be made in thestructure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within'the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore. fully illustrated and described 'myinvention. what I .claim to be new and'desire to protect by Letters Patent is: I 1. In a railway tie cutting machine, a frame supported over a tie to be cut, a vertically. movable support on the frame, cutting blades carried by the support and movable toward and away from each other, fluid actuated means for moving the blades and separate fluid actuated means for raising and lowering the said support and thereby moving the blades into operative relation to the tie. a. r J 2. In a tie cutting machine of thecharacter described, a frame, an upwardly and downwardly adjustable support on the frame hanger' bars swingably mounted on the frame for movement toward and away from each other at their lower ends, blades mounted on the hanger bars and depending therefrom at their lower ends, means for swinging the blades toward and away from each other, the said blades depending at theirlower ends below the hanger bars and theblades: having their facing edges sharpened, -and the blades being reversible end for end onthe hangerbars. 3. A machine for cutting ofi theend-of a rail-- 'way 'tie to facilitate its removal fromits-ballast;

bed, said machine having "movably supported.

blades adapted to be positioned at opposite sides; of the tie, means for forcing the blad'estpgether to cut off the tie end, and the said blades both having cutting edges bevelled often the side facing the end of the tie-in such'manneras to force the tie end in an endwise direction as it is severed and thereby loosen'the severed end-in its ballast bed.

4. A- railway tie cutting machine of the char-'- acter described for severingthe end portions of ties to facilitate their removal from the roadbed, comprising a-frame having a support above the tie to be cut, a pair of blades pivotally connected at their upper. ends to the support for movement toward and away from each other and position-'- able at their lower ends at opposite sides of the tie, a fluid operated ram for swinging the blades toward and away from each other at their lower ends, and said ram being horizontally positioned adjacent the lower ends of the blades and having a cylinder connected to one blade and a plunger connected to the other blade.

5. In a railway tie cutting machine of the character described for severing the ends of ties in the ballast, a main frame, a support on the frame above the tie, a pair of upright cutting blades movably mounted on said support for movements toward and away from each other. and having ends depending at opposite sides of the tie to be cut, the blades having inner cutting edges, and a hydraulic ram arranged in a horizontal position alongside the blades and ae'osgnus 7 7 including a cylinder connected "to cn'e blade and a reciprocable plunger connected to the other blade. V 6. In a railway tie cutting machine of the characterdescribed for severing th'e e'nds ofties in the ballast, a main frame,' a support'onthe frame above the tie, a pair of upright cutting blades movably mounted on :said support for movements toward and away from eachtother andhavlng ends depending at opposite side'si'of the tie to be cut, the blades havingzinnericutting edges,smeans in themain frame "adjustably supporting the said support for 'up and down movements with respect to the frame to 'raise and lower the blades, andian uprighthydraulic ram connected .to the frame and to 'the'support for raising and lowering the support and'blades.

7. In a railway tie cutting machine .of .the character described for severing the ends of ties in .the ballast, a main frame, a support on the frame above the tie, a pair of upright cutting blades movably -mounted on said support for movements toward and away from each other and having ends depending at opposite sides of the tie-to be cut, the blades having inner cutting edges, 9. lift frame on the main frame carrying said support, and an upright hydraulic ram connected between the main and lift frames for raising and lowering the lift frame and support and blades withrespect to the main frame and the ties.

8. In a railway tie cutting machine of the character described for severingthe ends'of ties in the ballast, a main frame, a support on the frame above the tie, a pair of upright cutting blades ;movably mounted on said support for movements toward and away from each other .and having ends depending at opposite sides of the tie to be cut, the bladeshaving inner cutting edges, the said blades being arranged in a common virtual plane and the inner cutting edges thereof being beveled off on the same sidefor cutting through the tie as the blades are forced together and the cutting edges -meet.-- u

9. 'In a railway tie cuttingmachine, a fram supported over a tie to be cut, an "upwardly and downwardly movable support on the frame, slide rods supported crosswise of the tie on said support, carriers -slidably mounted on the rods for movement toward and-away from eachother in planes crosswise of the tie, cutting blades on said carriers and dependingat their lower ends therefrom, means for sliding the carriers on the'rods, andmeans for raising and lowering the support-and thereby m ving the blades into operative relation to-theltie. e

10'. In a railway tie cutting machine,- a frame supported over a tie to be cut, an upwardly and downwardly movable support on the frame, slide rods-supported crosswise of the tie on saidsupport, carriers slidabl'yimounted on the rods for movement toward and awayefrom each; other .8 'in planes crosswise of the tie, cutting blades on said carriers and depending at their lower ends therefrom, a fluid actuated ram havlng a cylinder connected 'to one carrier and a plunger connected to the othervcarrier to slide the carriers on the rods, and aseparatefluidactuated'means forimoving the support and lowering the blades intoiioperative irelationto the tie. V 11. 'In'a railway tie cutting machine, a frame 'supportedover atie to-ibe cut, an upwardly and downwardly'movable support on the. frame, slide rods supported crosswise of .the tie on said sup port, carriers slidably xmounted on the .rods for movement't'oward and-:away from each other in .plar'iescrosswiseiof the tie, cutting blades pivotallylc'onnected at'theirloppositely extending ends to vthe carriers and extending inwardly therefromin overlapping relation, the inner ends of the blades having depending cutting portions with their facing edges sharpened, at least one hydraulic ram connected between the carriers to force the blades in opposite directions and bring their sharpened edges together, and means for raising and lowering the support to bring the blades into operative relation to the tie to be cut. 12, :In a railwaytie cutting machine, a frame supported lover a tie to be cut, an upwardly'and downwardly movable support on the frame, slide rods supported crosswise of the tie on said support, carriers slidably mounted on the rods for movement toward and away from each other in planes crosswise of'the tie, cutting blades pivotally'connectedat their oppositely extending ends to the carriers andextending inwardly therefrom in overlapping relation, the inner ends of the blades having depending cutting portions with their facing edges sharpened, at least one hydraulic ram "connected between the carriers to force the blades in opposite directions and bring their sharpened edges together, means for'raising andlowering the support to bring the blades-into operative relation to the tie to be cut, and means also for swinging the blades up and down about their pivot connections to the carriers.

WILBER F. WOOLERY.-

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA' IENTS Number Name Date 846,839 Fafinon Mar. 12, 1907 94 4,555 Holden Dec. 28, 1909 2,207,883 Woolery July 16, 1940 2,214,334 Knight Sept. 10, 1940 2,446,011 Johnsonet al July 27, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 119,846 Germany May 18, 1901 18,934 Sweden Aug. 4, 1904 

